An Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine & Restoring Balance
Back in the old days in China, you paid your doctor while you were well and stopped paying him when you fell ill. Could we imagine such a system in the Western society? Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine had total faith and confidence in their system of holistic preventative medicine which worked perfectly, and continues to do so today.
Patients are taught a combination of good diet, good exercise and good breathing techniques. If a patient became sick, there were powerful ways to bring him or her back to glowing health: acupuncture, herbalism, and massage. Sickness was simply not a way of life - surely tempting enough reason to investigate this incredible holistic healing system.
In modern western society, we generally use only a small part of traditional Chinese medicine. Many people practice solely acupuncture, others purely herbalism. Both can have powerful effects on their own, but if we really seek to work with this healing system in its most potent form, seek out a practitioner who can counsel you on all aspects of the Chinese way to health.
From the earliest times, people have stumbled across the healing powers of certain foods and herbs. But how did they discover that sticking needles in certain parts of the body could have an effect on other parts, even curing disease? Some people say that acupuncture developed from marma therapy rooted in Ayurvedic medicine. Others believe that after battles, the Chinese noticed some curious side effects of arrow wounds. If the victim survived his wound, sometimes he would discover that a formerly chronic disease had mysteriously vanished. From these observations, they surmise, acupuncture was developed.
The underlying philosophy behind traditional Chinese medicine is that good health revolves around the correct flow of qi, or chi, the subtle energy of the body. Qi flows around the body in channels called meridians, and along the meridians lie hundreds of points which link the various organs and functions of the body. If we look after ourselves, eat the right kind of foods and undertake the right kind of exercise for our body type, we can increase the amount of qi in our bodies. If we fall into bad habits and neglect self-care our levels of qi drop or are blocked and the consequence is lack of vital energy, emotional distress or even disease. The entire Chinese life view is immensely complex and differs greatly to the Western patriarchal and unbalanced system currently in place. Qi can be depleted or lost through too much, too little or the wrong kind of food, drink, exercise, work and even sex. The repercussions of this are an imbalance of emotions and loss of overall vitality.
Yin & Yang
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the world can be divided into two forces yin and yang. Yin is considered to be dark, cold, negative, passive and feminine, while yang is light, warm, positive, active and male. Disturb the balance of yin and yang and the result is disharmony and possibly ill health. In addition there are five elements to consider. Every one of us contains the elements of fire, each, air (known as metal), water and wood. When a traditional Chinese medicine practioner diagnoses, he or she does not just check the flow of qi but also looks to see how much of the element is within the body and what kind of energy is being transmitted. It is then possible to stimulate or quieten unbalanced organs or body systems through food, exercise, massage, herbs or the needles of acupuncture.